Bristol City 1 Blackpool 1: Ince's late spot kick grabs a point but Robins end losing streak
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Thomas Ince's late penalty denied Bristol City their first victory since mid-September but Steven Davies' spot-kick meant Derek McInnes' men ended a run of seven straight npower Championship defeats.
Davies slammed a penalty past Matt Gilks in the 81st minute after Albert Adomah was fouled, ending a goal drought stretching back nearly seven hours, but Ince had the final say on the stroke of 90 minutes.
McInnes made five changes to his line-up as they looked to put an end to their awful run of form.
No mistake: Thomas Ince converts from 12 yards
Match facts
Bristol City: Heaton, Foster, Bates, Fontaine, Bryan, Danns (Anderson 75), Kilkenny (Reid 90), Elliott, Adomah, Stead (Davies 80), Pearson. Subs not used: Gerken, Mark Wilson, Baldock, James Wilson.
Booked: Pearson.
Goals: Davies 81 pen.
Blackpool: Gilks, Baptiste, Cathcart, Evatt, Crainey, Sylvestre, Basham, Grandin, Ince, Kevin Phillips (Dicko 74), Delfouneso. Subs not used: Halstead, Eardley, Gomes, Bruna, Martinez, Harris.
Booked: Baptiste, Basham.
Goals: Ince 90 pen.
Att: 12,009.
Ref: Gavin Ward.
Former Middlesbrough captain Matthew
Bates, who signed a short-term deal with City just an hour before
kick-off, went straight into the side along with Leicester loanee Neil
Danns. Elsewhere Jon Stead, Joe Bryan and Stephen Pearson were all
handed starts.
Michael Appleton, a former team-mate
of McInnes, named Kevin Phillips and Ian Evatt in his starting XI while
Nathan Delfouneso was given the nod after his equaliser against Bolton
last weekend.
The home side came agonisingly close
to scoring for the first time in four games after just nine minutes when
Neil Kilkenny drilled the ball against the bar from 35 yards out, and
at the other end Ince cut inside but his effort was well saved by Tom
Heaton.
Adomah, back from mid-week
international duty with Ghana, was the next winger to cut inside and try
his luck but his left-footed shot failed to test Seasiders keeper Gilks
after a clever one-two with Kilkenny.
Delfouneso and Phillips both tried
their luck before the interval, the latter with a speculative 35-yard
effort, but Bristol City's defence held firm.
Gilks needed to be alert to keep the
game goalless shortly after the break, the Scot racing off his line to
deny Jon Stead after the ball broke to the former Huddersfield striker
after an under-hit backpass from Event.
Ince then warmed the gloves of City keeper Heaton from distance in the 51st minute before Craig Cathcart put his body on the line to bravely block a strike from Marvin Elliott on the hour mark.
In the lead: Steven Davies converts from the penalty spot
Appleton's side were finding
themselves in positive positions but continued to shoot straight at
Heaton, Phillips the latest to do that on 63 minutes after Ludovic
Sylvestre led a counter attack and the ball fell to the experienced
striker.
The visitors then came incredibly
close to breaking the deadlock two minutes later when Delfouneso ran
clear and his effort from 20 yards hit the post.
When the ball fell to Ince, the
winger had time to pick his spot but Heaton pulled off a top-class save
to keep out his effort from 12 yards.
In the 78th minute, Gilks hauled down Adomah after the winger chased a long ball and referee Gavin Ward pointed to the spot.
McInnes sent on Davies for Stead
while the penalty was waiting to be taken and their top scorer stepped
up to send Gilks the wrong way with his first touch.
But just when it looked like City would celebrate their first victory since September 18 the ball hit debutant Bates' hand inside the box and Ince stepped up to net the equaliser.
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